Page 92 of Absolutely Not in Love
I make fast work of stripping off my gear and getting showered. I even manage to smile through the ribbing my teammates give me.
“What are you hurrying for, Jamison?” Alec asks. “It’s almost like you think there’s someone here to see you.”
“Pretty sure she’s here to see me,” Eli says. “I always knew she’d come around.”
I grin and throw a towel at Eli’s head. “Yeah, you wish.” I pull my shirt over my head, then look up and make eye contact with Logan. “Did you know Gracie was coming?”
He shakes his head. “Not until Parker told me. I hope she keeps coming, though. If she makes you play like you did in the third.” Logan looks down at his phone. “Speaking of ParkerandGracie, they’re together and waiting for us in the family room. You ready?”
There have been more than a few moments when I’ve watched other players greet their wives and girlfriends after games and wondered what it might feel like. I’ve tried not to linger on the thought because it always feels a little caveman-ish to expect a woman to be here just so she can watch me perform and compliment my manliness.
But having Gracie here doesn’t feel like that. Idowant her to be proud of me, and I definitely played harder because I knew she was watching. But it isn’t aboutme.It’s about us. About sharing a life. It’s about wanting something that’s important to me to matter to her, too.
Still, I recognize it’s no small matter that she’s here. Especially after the hard day she had right before I left, after the way we left things.
As soon as we reach the family room where team members’ wives and family members wait for the players, Logan immediately moves into the room and heads toward Parker, but I stop and watch Gracie from the doorway.
She looks beautiful, her face animated as she laughs at something Summer is saying.
Nathan, of all people, is standing between the two women, eyes locked on Summer, looking somewhere between stunned and totally captivated. Or maybe he’s both?
With Nathan, it’s always hard to tell.
Gracie is wearing the black, white, and teal jersey we wear for away games, and I feel a sudden urge to see her turn so I can read the number that’s on the back, see the name blazoned across the top.
Maybe I am like a caveman because I really want that jersey she’s wearing to be mine.
As soon as Logan reaches Parker, Gracie looks up, her eyes scanning the room until they land on me.
Then she’s running across the room and throwing herself into my arms.
I pick her up, holding her against me as her hands fly around my neck. Her lips crash into mine. We’ve kissed countless times over the past few weeks, and all of them have been amazing. Kisses that sayI want you, I need you,even justI like you.
But this is the first kiss to sayI love you.And that makes it the kiss to rival all kisses.
Slowly, I lower her back to the ground, but I keep my arms around her.
She’s here—she’s here—and I don’t ever want to let her go.
When she finally pulls away, she looks up at me, brown eyes shining. “Felix, you were amazing,” she says, words tumbling out quickly. “When you were hugging the post, and the other team circled the net like they were gonna shoot through the back door, and you whipped around and caught the shot even though you weren’t even looking at them. It was brilliant. It was—”
I cut off her words with another kiss. Because honestly, if she’s going to talk hockey like she’s some kind of professional sports analyst, what choice does she give me?
She smiles as she pulls away. “What was that for?”
“You’re sexy when you talk hockey.”
She smirks. “I’ll have to do it more often.”
I nuzzle my nose into her hair. “I can’t believe you came to California.”
“Youare in California.” She shrugs and bites her bottom lip. “And I wanted to see you play.AndI wanted to see you in person so I could tell you…I love you.”
I pull her closer and lower my forehead to hers, pausing long enough to breathe her in.
She’s here, in my arms, and she loves me.
I take a steadying breath. “I love you, too. I’ve been so worried about you, Gracie. And I’m still so sorry about what happened. I never should have—”
